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The Dog Days of Summer…
While it certainly feels like the Dog Days… I am a bit late with this update. The Dog Days officially ended on August 11th. For those of us unsure from where the phrase originates it refers to the rising of the Dog Star, Sirius which rises at about the same time as the sun in the Northern hemisphere, July 3 thru August 11th.
It is still hot in Austin though, Dog days or not. Not as hot as last year, rain in July cooled things off considerably, but hot nonetheless. I would like to say that its been quiet but that is not exactly correct, more likely the calm before the storm.
The storm after the runoff election has simply set the stage for what promises to be an interesting and turbulent legislative session. The consensus among the smattering of lobbyists I have visited with is that everyone is telling clients the same thing, “don’t expect to pass many meaningful bills.”
We still have more elections to observe, the fall general elections and the ramifications from events up through the primary and eventual runoffs have not all played themselves out. The stage is set and the actors have been chosen we just have to see the final act. The Governor was successful in his efforts to change the composition of the Texas House, it just remains to be seen if these changes are sufficient enough to pass some sort of “education savings account” or voucher by any other name.
Speaker Dade Phelan won reelection to his State House district beating David Covey by a narrow margin. While it is not assured that he will be reelected as Speaker of the Texas House, I would not bet against him. As a reminder there are 2 other Republicans who have announced their campaigns for Speaker. There could well be others who announce later this fall. To date, the effort to unseat Speaker Phelan has not bubbled to the surface for others to see. The last 4 Speakers (Craddick, Straus, Bonnen and Phelan) all won the seat in unique ways, not what one would have considered a “usual” speaker’s race, perhaps the “usual “ speakers race may not exist anymore. The Laney/Rudd type of race with clearly defined sides and months of campaigning may never happen again. At least it does not appear to be happening this time.
With the Republicans appearing unable to agree on a single candidate (at least not yet) the Democrats would appear to be ready to once again be king (or Speaker) makers. This formula has worked in the past and would appear to be available to be utilized once again. While Texas is reliably “Red” at the statewide and National level, there are some marginal Republican House districts that could be flipped with a larger than usual Democratic turnout for a potentially popular Presidential candidate. Whether Vice President Harris is that candidate or not will play out over the next few weeks. While certainly not enough to flip the Texas House, the possible increase in Democratic House seats could change the formula in the Speakers race. The unknown wildcard is Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. His eligibility for the Texas ballot will also influence something. What, remains to be seen. He cuts across demographics and appeals to an odd cross section of voters. How this might influence Texas House races is anyone’s guess. Worth watching.
Texas now has 2 marine desalination facilities that have requested and received SWIFT funds from the Texas Water Development Board and the State of Texas. The Corpus Christi plant will be located on the Inner Harbor Ship Channel which extends from the Gulf of Mexico to the Port of Corpus Christi. The proposed Laguna Madre plant will be located on the North Shore of the Port Isabel Turning Basin off the Port Isabel Channel. Laguna Madre requested $10 million to be used for the planning, acquisition and design of a seawater desalination plant. The Corpus Christi project requested $535 million to be used for planning, acquisition, design and construction of the city’s inner harbor seawater desalination plant. While Texas has many inland brackish water plants supplying significant amounts of water to a variety of customers, these are the first marine facilities that have not just been proposed but have made some significant steps forward toward actual construction and eventually providing water. There are several more marine facilities proposed, we hope these successful steps help lead the way to more marine facilities making use of our gulf coast water resource.
The Senate Water, Agriculture and Rural Affairs committee met back on May 15th, the discussion on desalination was front and center throughout that committee hearing. Several desalination projects were discussed, questions asked and in general the presentations were well received. The House has not yet had the Natural Resources Committee hearing but is expected later this fall. We hope to continue the positive messages about desalination, both inland and now marine. While the recognition of desalination by decisionmakers is greatly appreciated, it is up to the industry to keep the message alive and relevant. Texas will always need more water, desalination will always be part of the answer. The Texas Desal 2024 Annual Conference is fast approaching. If you have not already made plans to attend, it is not too late, it promises to be an informative and relevant conference. The topics are timely, the speakers excellent and you cannot beat the price. We hope to see you there.